_Friend._ You must know then, there is about a Mile from _James-Town_ a
young Gentlewoman--no matter for her Birth, her Breeding’s the best this
World affords, she is married to one of the richest Merchants here; he
is old and sick, and now gone into _England_ for the recovery of his
Health, where he’ll e’en give up the Ghost: he has writ her word he
finds no Amendment, and resolves to stay another Year. The letter I
accidentally took up, and have about me; ‘tis easily counterfeited, and
will be of great use to us.
_Haz._ Now do I fancy I conceive thee.
_Friend._ Well, hear me first, you shall get another Letter writ like
this Character, which shall say, you are his Kinsman, that is come to
traffick in this Country, and ‘tis his will you should be received into
his House as such.
_Haz._ Well, and what will come of this?
_Friend._ Why, thou art young and handsome, she young and desiring;
’.were easy to make her love thee; and if the old Gentleman chance to
die, you guess the rest, you are no Fool.
_Haz._ Ay, but if he shou’d return--
_Friend._ If--Why, if she love you, that other will be but a slender Bar
to thy Happiness; for if thou canst not marry her, thou mayst lie with
her: and, Gad, a younger Brother may pick out a pretty Livelihood here
that way, as well as in _England_. Or if this fail, thou wilt find a
perpetual Visiter, the Widow _Ranter_, a Woman bought from the ship by
old Colonel _Ranter_; she served him half a Year, and then he marry’d
her, and dying in a Year more, left her worth fifty thousand Pounds
Sterling, besides Plate and Jewels: She’s a great Gallant, but assuming
the humour of the Country Gentry, her Extravagancy is very pleasant, she
retains something of her primitive Quality still, but is good-natur’d
and generous.
_Haz._ I like all this well.
_Friend._ But I have a further End in this matter; you must know there
is in the same House a young Heiress, one Colonel _Downright’s_
Daughter, whom I love, I think not in vain: her Father indeed has an
implacable Hatred to me, for which reason I can but seldom visit her,
and in this Affair I have need of a Friend in that House.
_Haz._ Me you’re sure of.
_Friend._ And thus you’ll have an opportunity to manage both our Amours:
Here you will find occasion to shew your Courage, as well as express
your Love; for at this time the _Indians_, by our ill Management of
Trade, whom we have armed against our selves, very frequently make War
upon us with our own Weapons; though often coming by the worst, they are
forced to make Peace with us again, but so, as upon every turn they fall
to massacring us wherever we lie exposed to them.
_Haz._ I heard the News of this in _England_, which hastens the new
Governour’s arrival here, who brings you fresh Supplies.
_Friend._ Would he were landed, we hear he is a noble Gentleman.
_Haz._ He has all the Qualities of a Gallant Man: besides, he is nobly
born.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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